Comments

My Real World manual trans Scion tC MPG is 27.5ish... It seems counter intuitive but It went down to 25.5ish on a long road trip... granted I was averaging 78 mph which ment the tack was almos 3800 rpm... for 2400 miles... I took mileage readings every time I filled up and my worst was 25.1 and my best was 26.4. I think some people don't know how to take acurate mpg readings when I read about people getting over 30 mpg in a tC... my normal driving from work and back and to the grocery store... etc... no matter if I drive fast and ferious or slow and subdued is some where between 27 and 27.8... :surprise:

the way I take mpg readings is I fill up with gas... take an odometer reading and or set the trip meter to 0... then I drive untill i need a fill up (the closer to empty the more accurate). I fill up with gas and take the trip meter reading (lets pretend 344miles) and divide that by the number of gallons that I just filled up with (lets say 12.6) 344/12.6 = 27.3 and vwhala! mpg! :P

Before the day (Friday) is over I'll have 15,000 miles on my xB. I've checked every tank except two. The first - as it was filled by the dealership and I did not trust it was full the way I FILL the tank (that is until there is gas lying above the the little flapper the pump spout depresses when filling). The second because I reset the trip meter before punching it into the calculator I carry in the car.Here's the skinny; I've gotten no tanks less than 35.4mpg (these are rare). I've gotten no tank over 39.5 (these too are rare). With the A/C running I usually get very close to 37mpg - sometimes a little less if I've got a lot of highway miles involved. Or - a lot of trips up and down the hill to town (you would think they would average themselves out - but the rpms coasting don't negate the rpms climbing). With the A/C not running I consistently get 38+. In fact, I'm hoping to top the 40mpg mark when the weather cools off. That tank (if I get there) will be posted all over these boards. You probably get the idea I strive for that high milleage mark with my driving style. Wish me luck

Auto! But I drive like an old, old, man. I get picked on by the family because there is this truly old guy who drives a small pickup on our road. He drives about 25mph no matter what (our road is labeled for 40 or 45). They tell me "you want to be the old guy in the pickup" My response; "I AM the old guy"

Yesterday I filled my new 06 xB for the third time (fourth if you include the dealership's original fill). I figured 26.4 mpg on the last tank. It has gone up less than 2 mpg since my original fill. I currently have around 700 miles on the car. I live in the desert and the a/c runs continually; I also drive 15 miles up a 4000 ft mountain twice a week (down too, of course). I'm loving my xB, but gotta admit I'm a little worried that the mileage isn't better, unless the mileage continues to increase as it gets broken in. Also admittedly jealous of some of those other posts of 35 mpg and better. I know that the 06 window sticker actually claims 1 mpg less in both categories (freeway and city) over the 05, and someone in one of the other threads said this may because they changed the gearing ratio at the low end (whatever THAT means). Has anyone else had experience of gaining up to 10 mpg as their car got broken in, or am I wishful-thinking?

I wouldn't be too jelous... I think eather some people over state the truth with there gas milage or they don't calculate it correctly. I own a tC and have never realy been able to get better than 27.5 ish mpg... no matter how I drive. Just recently I over inflated the tires to 39psi and have noticed about 28.5 mpg... not a big imporvement but did make it go up... Just don't fall for all those gas saving devices that you see advertized. In this months popular mechanics they test all of them and none of them increase gas milage and most reduce horse power. I'm talking about the Tornado intake thing, they tested some magnetic gas line deal... etc... the only way to gain gas milage is to drive 55 mph, over inflate tires, if you can and know how you can play with fuel to air mixture and run lean... you loose hp this way but you gain a bit in milage. Slowing down on the high way makes the bigest and most significant difference every other trick I tried only equaled to about 1 to maybe 1.5 mpg...

oh, like that's gonna work in the U.S. Slowing down on the expressway?! Don't you know American's have the right to drive way too fast on the freeway and not signal their lane changes?

Just kidding, sort of. It sounds like you're getting honest tC mpg numbers, johhnyringo, considering the tC weight and engine and hp and ft-lb.torque numbers. Do you have the manual or automatic tranny, johhny? You bought a great looking car, BTW. Are you having the creak and moan problems, like some tC owners?

UHM....! Anyone who doubts my mpg quotes is welcome to tag along for a couple of tanks - then call me ingnorant or a liar :P Been doing this a long time. Know how to top off the tank over and over again - even know which pumps are more difficult (sensitive to the auto shut-off) and carry a calculator so as not to depend on math skills. ThankYou

I have a manual... flint mica... which funny enough, I hear gets worse mileage than the auto?... don't know this for sure but I have read it several places. I fortunately must have gotten one of the good well built tC's no creaks moans pops rattles ... nothing. I love the car just wish it would get a smidge better mpg.

I understand that no one will actually drive 55 in the US... hell sammy hagar wrote a song about it "I Can't Drive....... 55!!!!!" I was just saying that it was the best way to gain fuel economy. I am a lab rat for 3Ms research and development labs so I have a bit of an analytical approach to life. I get board driving the 70 miles round trip to work and back so I do silly experiments to see if i can get better mileage, and thats where my last post came from... I still over inflate my tires... works better than anything else. I am waiting for my warranty to run out before I try different intake systems. I also want to do a bunch of suspension work like sway bars and maybe 2"lowering springs... lol I'm a 32 year old asian car tuner... my wife says mid life crisis but wouldn't I have a real fast car if that were true?...

this month popular mechanics has an article where some guy spent 3000.00 modifying his pris and now runs mainly on batteries and claims to get 250 mpg. that would rock! but doesn't say weather he drives highway or just tooling around town.

my comment on johnnyringo's mpg didn't in any way infer that other's results were dishonest. Wasn't meaning that...I was merely saying that the tC has some weight built in...for me I think that's a positive thing....and weight affects gas mileage. That's all I was saying. Sounds like you are digging your tC, johnnyringo, and it is not creaking and moaning...very cool, indeed. I love the tC's bodystyle, but want a 4-door, so as far as Scion's go I am looking at an xA, but only a RS 1.0 or 2.0, and only casually. Our Sportage 4x4 is doing a fine job for us at 104, 400 miles and counting.

I drive like my grandpa used to drive, and hence, get optimum gas mileage. I signal all of my lane changes, too. I have noticed the manners of drivers getting worse in this country and getting worse fast. Semi-truck drivers are as bad as the worst car drivers, too. Gotta get there fast, who cares who we pester doing it. I don't really like any of America's interstates anymore. I prefer back highways and town streets and secluded country drives if I can fit them in. Being in the middle of South Dakota that accounts for about 95% of my driving, so I'm a happy camper in that respect!

I agree about slowing down on the freeway system. I have always driven that way, not just in a gas crunch. Good to hear of somebody else doing it.

Keep us up to date with any more Pop.Mechanic's car propulsion/energy updates, johhnyringo. I think some Americans are starting to want to tinker a bit, too!

I'm considering buying an xA, but want to hear from current owners how they really do on mileage (either manual or automatic, but please specify). I'm debating between the xA and a Corolla (we own one already). Our 5-speed Corolla LE gets about 35mpg with a mix of town and hwy driving. What should I expect out of the xA with a 5-speed?

Asking mileage questions probably will not be a lot of help. There seems to be a huge range based on driving styles with these little 1.5L engines. I've as much been called a liar for reporting 35-39mpg depending on a/c and highway-backroad mix. Others are getting as little as mid 20's.I expect no less than 38+ based on the highway estimate of 35-36?. I've yet to own a car that produced less mpg than the window sticker. I got 28-30 in the Sable wagon, and the same in my Buick Reatta. It is all about how you drive. I would ask you what the epa estimates for your Corolla LE are? Do you excede these? If so, you will likely do the same with the xA. By the way - I drive an auto xB '05Good luck with the decision making process.

I'm not calling anyone a lier... I'm just sceptical when I read about a "tC" not an xB or xA getting 35mpg because everything I've tried hasn't even got me close to 30mpg. If your getting over 30 in a tC I would like to know how... because I want to get 30 as well. Are you driving in the city mostly?, are you on the highway?, have you installed any devices like cold air intake or different exhaust?... From my expierence with my manual 05 tC i get worse milage on the high way than I do just scooting around town... i know it sounds counter intuitive but the car is geared so low that at high speeds like 70+ the tach is above 3200 which isn't good for milage. When driving around town I find the engine doesn't even have a hint of strain to get you going so the power to weight is fine for milage between 10 and 55 mph.

I have an 04' Scion XB. I am averaging 22 mpg. I have low profile 215/35R18 tires on it. Can't figure out why my mpg for city driving is over 35% lower than the EPA estimate. Very frustrating. Anyone else seeing low mpg on an 04' XB?

I have an 'o5 xB and I get the exact same mileage. As a matter of fact, I've been on and off the phone with Scion and just brought it to the dealer to check it out on their advice. Fuel consumption test comes back OK so now Scion is totally changing their original tune on phone and saying car is fine, it's my driving, blah blah. I have registered a complaint. They also claim they don't say car is economical, fuel efficient. Lying, because while their "Scion Specialist" was on phone saying this, I brought up the website with their little "spiel" and it brags about gas mileage. He still disputed it, said it was EPA and qualified and until I sent him to the right page he didn't believe it was their advertising. Anyway, I've stopped people in parking lots and asked how their car does and they always brag. So what's the deal-i've also read complaints like ours, so something has to be wrong with some of these off the line. I feel like I've gotten the short end of the stick. Anyone else have this problem or any solutions. I have a 5-speed and use synthetic oil, and watch the tire pressure. So I've tried all those tricks.Hope to hear from someone!

You wish!! I've had my '05 xB for 5 months, have 4500 miles. Run both highway and city but mostly city. Do use the AC. I calculate each fill up and i've ranged 22 to 24, avg. 23 mpg. I've also called Scion several times on this and they have no solutions. I use synthetic oil, and watch the tire pressure. I just had a fuel consumption test done today, on Scion's device and supposedly no "codes" so everything is ok. I am ticked! Anyway, as far as the sticker changing, I asked about that. The Scion Specialist, and I use the term loosely, said that manufacturers (?) (Does he mean dealers) have been calling in and saying they don't get the posted mileage, so they lowered it. Also, according to Scion, my car is broken in, so that is wishful thinking. I'm looking for more of us with this problem-I wish we could do something. Or maybe, misery just loves company! But I do like my car-just that the gas mileage is terrible, especially when I bought it as a economy car as it is advertised on the web!!!

I drive my xB pretty hard- Most starts are heavy or full throttle, I stomp on it often to pass, and most of my freeway driving is in the 85 MPH range. And this is with the AC on 100% of the time.In town I get 25-26 and about the same on the freeway. I think the "aerodynamics" of the xB really take a toll at higher freeway speeds.If I drive at 65-70 the milage is about 28, with AC and the Auto trans.

I have a 150 mile trip next week, I'll try to drive easy and report back.

These are amazing stories - the low fuel mileage numbers. I understand the mid 20's for those driving 'hard and fun'. But for those who are attempting to get higher mileage - it is baffling. Obviously these little engines are affected by driving style more than the larger ones. RPMs is/are the key. Keeping them down that is. Highway driving - even at 65-70 will net less mpg than 'backroads' at 50-55. This is where I drive. I know nothing of city driving with the xB - just haven't had the displeasure of experiencing it. I live outside a small town, work in small towns and drive between them - mostly on two lane roads. If you truly are convinced it is the individual cars, and you want to keep driving and xB, trade. It appears these cars are retaining great resale/trade value. Give it a shot!

Im sorry to say that I have the same exact problem. I get about 22mpg, I am not an agressive driver, but lets be honest to keep up with traffic here in california sometimes you have to put down your foot down on the pedal more than you want to. I also have a 05 Scion, I have the yellow 2.0 Xb, love the car, but the mileage issue is killing me. I get about 220to 240 a tank. The car is a 4 cylinder for gods sake. I have a friend that has a 6 cylinder 215 horse power and he gets the same mileage I do. I understand he has a bigger gas tank, but thats no excuse. I even paid extra to get a 2.0, I am sad to say that I am utterly disappointed in the mileage. I have contacted everyone under the sun to see if someone can help me. I took back the car the first week I had the car. Not only do I have mpg problems but I also have paint defects on the car, thats a different problem. I have taken back the car a total of 9 times to the dealer. By the way for anyone buying a car from california and they are buying a toyota, do not buy form Tustin Toyota, they are so unprofessional. Anyways I ended taking it another dealer and they checked it out, they actually gave me some help about what mileage I was getting they told me I was getting about 22 to 25 mpg, they said that it was normal and its like that because of my driving habits and it is breaking in. Theres another thing that would piss off anyone else. When I purchased the car, they told me threre was a break in period of 1000 miles and that I would get poor mileage and not to drive over it 60. Then I went to another dealer and they told me that I will continue to get this mileage for another 10000 miles. I went to another servicer and they told me that the mileage that I was getting for another 5000 miles., this is stupid. Let me give some advice to everyone that has purchased a new car. If you feel that something is not right you do not have to keep the car. There are Lemon Laws so I had to seek legal action and now I am In process of excercising the Lemon Law for new cars. I hope things go well with this. By the way, if I am getting 23 to 25 miles to the gallon is normal than how come the sticker on the car says 31 to 35, and the epa minmum for the car is 28 to 33. Who ever has the same problem I do and seems alot of you have please keep in mind that there are alternatives. Happy driving.

I have now 1,500 miles on mine and at my last fill up posted 32 mpg, about 60/40 highway/city driving. I do not floor it. I do not run my AC unless I truly must. I do not brake hard. It's an automatic.

I too am in the process of looking into lemon law. I just received the paperwork yesterday. I've brought my car into the dealer and they ran a supposed "fuel consumption test" and my car is supposedly fine. I have been on the phone many times with Scion customer service and my "breaking in" period in well over. I can't believe all of the different answers you got from different dealers. And this stuff about driving habits is for the birds-I've had several different people monitor my driving standard and they all say I'm fine. I've been out test driving new cars because i want out of this one-it's ridiculous. You say exactly the same thing my husband has been saying about size of engine, etc. We bought for gas mileage. The Scion specialist says nowhere in its ad does it advertise gas mileage-only EPA statement. Well he's wrong. While I was on phone with him, I brough up the website and right on Performance page it states "Expect to get...." and how economical it is. His response to that was he's going to notify his ad people to notify legal people. What does that tell you. the sad thing is, I love the car,. not the mileage. Keep me posted on how things go-maybe there's strength in numbers.

As I posted a couple of days ago, I usually drive hard and my xB gets 24-26.I had a 200 mile trip to take today so I pumped up the tires to 35 psi, topped off the tank, drank some decaf and and swore I'd drive easy.

I never went over 70 and never floored it. - I did have the AC on the whole time...34.7 mpg!

Thats great that some people are getting good mileage, but Im prettty sure that the people that were getting this car because of great mileage are very disappointed. I dont feel as bad now that I know that a lot of other people are having the same problems. Is there something that we can do? Does anyone know how to check to see if there is a class action lawsuit with Scion/Toyota about this problem. Also I have seen advertisement for great mileage for this car, even in consumer reports if gave it good ratings for mileage. If I would have known I was going to get this type of mileage, I probably would have gone out and buy a 6 cylinder suv for the space and power. I bought this car so I can haul stuff without going for a fillup every 1 to 2 times a week. I used to drive about 300 miles form my 98 Honda Accord V6 200hp. That car was dream compared to this car by the way. I would get about 330 miles out of one tank. The highest I have ever gotten out of this car is 235 miles to the tank. Fuel consumption test and all that bullcrap, I believe that all of that is boloney. Believe me, its so frustrating hearing so many people getting great mileage. I'm done with the dealer already, there are not going to take back to the car for sure. I have three alternatives, trading the car in for a diffrerent car and far as I hear these cars hold there value pretty well. Selling the car which I really dont want to do because who knows how long this would take. Or, by the way I went through the arbitration process that Scion has and that was just a waist of time, of course I was denied. I'll tell you all the problems are with my car. Missing paint, it seems that someone forgot to paint a little more on some spots of the car,there are no clear coats in sections of the car. I have section on the car that looks as if someone took paint stripper and stripped paint off the car, it is so bad that you can see bare metal underneath, and for some reason I have dents and dings in places that you would not expect them to be. I get dents in the car all the time, dont know how, they just pop up all the time. Its so frustrating. I love and hate this car. I hate the dealership that sold me the car, I have wasted about 1week of missing work to take it to the dealership. About 3 months taking it back and fourth to 3 different dealerships. I'm done and fed up, no wants to help me on this. I have already hired an attorney and heading towards a war with Scion. Scion is a new company, what do they expect, to be perfect, no problems, please. In a perfect world, but we all know that this not a perfect world. I have to vent about this, thats why I am writing so much. If anyone is reading this and you have any answers on this please let me know, are there any people that know people that can help me out. Scion is my sh*t list right now and I will never buy from them again. By the way, I dont know about anyone else but I also hate the "no haggling pricing", i think it is stupid. the dealers can set there own prices what they want and they cant negotiate those prices? I saw the yellow 2.0 at 3 different dealerships and one gave me 16500, the other 18500 and another was about 17400 and were all exactly the same .With all the same accessories. Of course I bought it for the lowest price but they will not work it from there, I dont know about you but I overpaid. Anyways, if you haven't fell asleep reading this, please let me know if any one has any bright ideas. thank you.This is exactly what I am driving. :lemon:

Certainly it is difficult to analyze your problem without experiencing the car. However, it seems you may be very difficult to please. MPG: It is a cold hard fact, driving style affects the mpg of these small engined vehicles much more than, say a six cylindar in a midsize. I know this because of experience with both. I know this because of the difference in mileage TheWife gets vs what I get. Also, say you get so few or so many miles per tank will not give you an accurate mpg reading. You must do the full math computation. I suspect you are not getting the tank full when refueling.PAINT: Others have complained of chipped paint. Me too. But not any more than other vehicles I've owned.Dents: ????? You admit to not knowing how they come about. Good luck with that.PURE PRICING: Obviously that means something different in your part of the country. I checked out three dealers - all abided by the PurePrice policy put forth by Scion. No tricks - what was on the sticker was the price. And they all had the same destination fee. In fact, I went online, built and ordered the car. The price at the web was the price I paid. You knew about the process up front - at least if you did any research.Sorry for your perceived bad experience. One man's junk is anothers treasure.GoodLuck with the suit. :confuse:

I bought a scion after finding out about it from a website about "green cars". The "great mileage" was a selling point for me. I have been so disappointed that I have yet to get even close to the stated mileage. My average is 28. (with lots of city driving) Once I went a tank without using A/C and got 30. I am planning a long driving trip next month and am interested in seeing if I get any better mileage. Also several people told me I had to break in the car but I have over 6000 miles now and I get no better gas mileage then when I first drove the car off the lot.

Thanks for the info. on the arbitration. I thought it would be a waste of time so I had kind of decided not to bother. Someone commented about doing the actual math-not just reading the tripometer. We've calculated the mileage since the day we got it-doing the full math.As far as the paint, I never mentioned that before, but I have problems with that too. When I originally looked at the car, i looked at silver. Each one I looked at had streaks. Dealer claimed it was just the silver paint on all Toyotas and had to be buffed out. I backed out of that deal and got my Black Cherry Pearl. The car scratches if I just look at it. It has little scratches everywhere. And I have seen other complaints about the paint on other websites, not just here. With the same description-little tiny scratches all over. It's like there's no clear coat anywhere! Not a happy camper. We're probably going to keep it at least one year because I really don't have the money to put down on another one and keep the monthly payment the same. I'm just having it professionally waxed the end of this month to hopefully help protect it.I'm glad someone else also saw the ads for a fuel efficient car. Since the Scion Customer Service rep. told me they would never say that, never advertise that and I saw it in their ad.And, by the way, I too am not difficult to please. I bought what was advertised to be an economical car and didnt' get it. I believe it's called false advertising!!

No Drips, No Runs, No Errors - 18,000 miles on the car.I bought, as advertised, a $15,045.00 dollar car. - no dealer add or come ons.I bought, as advertised, a relatively high mpg car (see window sticker). I get 36.5 to 39.4 mpg consistently. I'm still convinced 'some' folks do not understand how to calculate fuel mileage - the entire process from 'fill up' to 'fill up'I bought, a compact car - a Scion / a Toyota (not a new car company at all) - because I was NOT possitive I'd be happy with such a small vehicle. I felt it would hold its resale/trade value better than most small 'economy' cars (read Ford Focus). _ I've not been dissappointed based on what I'm hearing used xBs selling for.I've not experienced any mysterious little dents.

First fill up your tank... and I mean fill it... takes like 10 shut offs of the pump to do this approx... then set the trip meter to 0... then drive normal for a few days... then fill up your tank again as good as possible... then divide the amount on the trip meter by the gallons you just filled up with... BAM!!! you got MPG... this process should be repeated at least 3 to maybe 5 times to get a good average...

On another MPG note... I have tried many myth type tweaks to get better mpg out of my tC... interestingly enough I was filling up with the lowest priced gas I could find in the twin cities 87 octane...at SAM's club... last week I paid .10 more per gallon at the gas station across the street for there version of 87 octane and to my surprise I got 3-4 more mpg than I had been getting... I have been buying this gas sense to see if it was real.. I'm on my third tank now and averaging 30-31mpg finally in my tC... I work in a lab so i'm a little obsessive compulsive about testing things and basically my daily routine is to drive to work and on my way home I stop at the same gas station every day to top off just so I can get an accurate dollar amount per day averaged over a week... before finding the magic gas station i was spending 11.00 -12.00 a day getting about 27 mpg (I drive 80 miles round trip per day) I switched gas and even with the .10 higher price I pay per gallon I only am spending 9.00-10.00 per day now...

my suggestion is to try a different brand of gas (not a different octane) or a different station that one you may usually use to see if that has an impact on your mpg...

Like I said in the begining of my last post, I stated that some of us are getting great mileage out of this car and thats great. The truth is that I have checked out many scion forums, Scion Life, Scion Evolution, and another one that I cant think about. There are many people complaining of gas mileage, my car is stock for goodness sake. As far as know is that this post is for the US, some of the other forums are for just my area So.Cal area. I belong to a Scion club, so believe I know how the calculation of MPG works. I used to have a show car in my Accord, beatuiful car by the way. I work on my own cars, I know plenty of mechanics, that have looked at my car and told me to get rid of it. I just mentioned in my last post about visiting Dealerships to look at my car. I drive like a granny for a long time now. I keep it under 3000 RPMS, nothing changes in the mileage. I put 3 gallons of gas in my car on monday and have to put more gas on Wednesday night, I get 60 miles out of those 3 gallons. I am very happy to hear that those of you get great mileage out of your cars. I am not hating on the car, I love the car. To be honest I want another one, just not from the dealership I got it from. The pure pricing is true, that they will not neogtiate the price but they can set their own price depending on dealerships, it probably has to do with demand in certain areas. I wanted to trick this car out, you dont understand, I already had everything picked out, rims, tires, system, etc. I am not hard to please, I just want what was advertised to me, I feel ripped off. I cant beleive some of the responses and lies that I received from the dealerships. I wonder if those dealerships are operated by GWB,j/k. Here are the responses I have received from the complaints that I took to Toyota.

"My paint is chipping off." One of the paint chipping problems is on the back bumper right below the bumper decal for the foot step.By the way I do know that alot of people that have commented on this, I have 2 repairs already to fix debris cracking my window.

Response: "Stop driving so hard, the rocks are picking up and hitting your car hard, thats what is chipping your paint."

"My car dents very easily." I understand this will happen over time, I have had my car since early April. I have 4 pretty good dings in my car and since I have a yellow XB, I'm afraid that its going to start looking like swiss cheese.

Response: "You probably drive to much behind big trucks."

"I get poor gas milleage, like around 20 miles a gallon."

Response: "Stop driving so hard, its breaking in. You push the gas too much. We have tested it on the fuel consumption test, and it scored a 25.1 a gallon."

Rebuttle: "But it is advertised as having a minimum epa of 28." Side note, the first dealership told me that there is no way to test out the mpg, if no check engine lights turn on there is nothing that we can do.

This is just some of what hell that I have been going through, i hope everyone understands now why I am not happy. If anyone wants to hear chapter 2 of what issues that I have with XB and problems with the dealer I purchased it from, just let me know. :lemon:

Your GWB joke says a lot.For the question about how to calculate - the individual spelled it out very well.The key is to top off, top off again, and top off again. Very important for acurate calculations.

I thought it was bad to top off. The excess fuel goes where it isn't supposed to go or something? I think what is more important is to be consistent when filling. Fill to the first clich every time, or the second, or third, I guess, if you don't mind putting too much fuel in the line.

Agree! To fill at the same gas station (or same pump there) and stop when the clich stops automatically every time is enough to get you a right MPG#. I do use this method to monitor MPG of my 92 Corolla AT. I do get 28 MPG consistantly using some gas saving tricks, ie, [non-permissible content removed] to neutral whenever I can.

I would like to know if the trd muffler will improve mpg? And what about the cold air intake - will that improve mileage?

Any comparisons out there of cars with and without these options?

Unfortunately, a lot of people out there are getting different mileage numbers and it's hard to tell why there is so much inconsistency in experiences with mileage.

I have auto without cold air and trd muffler. I seem to have varying averages, based on use of AC, how much in-town driving, high speed, etc. I do not have a heavy foot, but not very light either. My in-town mileage is miserable - averaging 26 or so. But, on the highway I am often getting 34-36 mpg, even with some high speed (75 plus) driving and AC on. This is surprising to me, because it would seem that aerodynamics are the big thing going against this car on mpg, but it is local driving where the car is simply not meeting the EPA/Toyota ratings for mileage.

Your story continues to sound more and more like mine. Like I said before, Scion had me take it to my dealer and told me to ask for a fuel consumption test. All they did was hook it to a computer, no engine light went on, so they said everything is fine. Nothing we can do. Now that I read your latest, doesn't sound like I ever had that fuel consumption test. I even had Scion talk to dealer before I picked up the my car to make sure they did appropriate testing. I had a gentleman stop me at the grocery store today ask me how I liked my Scion. He is in process of buying a car and is between the Rav 4 and xB. After our little talk, guess which car he's buying! Like you, I love my car, just hate the mpg problem. And I don't care what anyone says, I believe I bought that car under false pretenses, false advertising. They don't tell you that you have to drive this supposedly "hip young sporty" car like an old lady. Can't even get on expressway without going above 3000 rpm!I really believe that there is some defect that is showing up some of these cars. There seems to be two distinct camps of people. With about a 10 mpg difference-that's too much to be due to driving differences. I think some roll of the line one way for whatever reason and some the other. And nothing shows up on their little computer test. I knew there weren't any fuel line leaks-that's the other thing they checked. :lemon:

You pour mileage folks should start a club. Call it like, The Twenty Somethings. You could have local meets and events. Have a contest to see who can go through five gallons of gas the quickest on a closed circuit - Sponsored by Mobil or Exxon Have the Mysterious Dent plaque as well. Plus, give touch up paint to all in attendance. Certainly a local body shop would pitch in.Try to get one of those industrial laundries to provide Crying Towels for all attendees.You know, make lemonade :lemon:

I have owned an xb 2004 since April 2004. I noticed pretty quickly that the odometer reads 5% too low. That is if you drive 100 miles, it reads 95 miles. There was some discussion of this at Scion Life and as I recall this problem occured in both xb and xa in 04 and 05. If you do not believe me try driving the car on a highway and take note of the millage markers for 10 miles or so.

If your odometer is off, the result is that your mpg is 5% higher than your calculation.

The cause of this problem is that US models use different sized tires than Japanese ones (the US diameter is larger).

As for my mpg after 9000 miles--suburban driving about 30mpg, highway driving 35. If I drive at 55 or 60 on a highway I get 39 mpg, but since I mostly drive closer to 70 the mpg falls off dramatically. Its just the aerodianamics of the vehicle.

Hi... I've been looking at an Xb... By the way, I think Scion/Toyota is reall mis-marketing this car. Almost every one I've seen is being driven by a 50+ person. I am almost there too.

Mileage is a big concern of mine.. I'm looking at the Civic Hybrid & Priuis also. I can accept the lower MPG on the Xb vs the MUCH lower cost vs Prius & HCH... even including the tax CREDIT next year. That plus I fit well in the Xb ( 6'2", 250+)

I always drive with MPG in mind (I can get 30mpg on my 98 Lumina with 164k miles on the odometer if I do highway (about 28.5 80% Hgwy), so I am looking at your posts with interest. I live in an area with lots of hills, some 1000 ft ones (Hudson Valley in NY).

I drive like my grandpa used to drive, and hence, get optimum gas mileage. I signal all of my lane changes, too. I have noticed the manners of drivers getting worse in this country and getting worse fast. Semi-truck drivers are as bad as the worst car drivers, too. Gotta get there fast, who cares who we pester doing it. I don't really like any of America's interstates anymore. I prefer back highways and town streets and secluded country drives if I can fit them in. Being in the middle of South Dakota that accounts for about 95% of my driving, so I'm a happy camper in that respect!

I agree about slowing down on the freeway system. I have always driven that way, not just in a gas crunch. Good to hear of somebody else doing it.

Make that another... When I do 65 on the New york Thruway, I feel like I am standing still some times.

I'm curious where the people who are getting poor MPG, think the excess fuel is going?It can only be used three ways:

It leaks/evaporates --If this was happening, you would see/smell fuel or there would be an obvious issue with your evaporative emissions system, and the computer would know this and your check engine light would be on.

It is somehow consumed do to a "too rich" condition- If this was happening, your "check engine" light would be on, the car would be obviously be running very poorly, and it would be very apparent with any diagnostic test.

I think you are unaware of how you are pushing your little car I think you drive too hard. My MPG can vary up to 10 mpg on an identical trip depending on how I drive and my mood..

Fact: Your xB has a tiny engine and is shaped like a brick, respect that.

My wife (and every woman I know for that matter) drive with the "toggle switch" style.

Floor it, wait until you are about to rear end someone, stand on the brakes. Then floor it again. Coasting for even the slightest moment is never an option. Some pedal must be pressed hard at all times.

She complains her Expedition gets 11mpg, but when I drive it I get 16.

As far as the complaints about "fraud"; The US Government EPA sets the quoted MPG figures. Manufacturers have no say in how the tests are done. They are required by law to report the figure the EPA gives them.

I take offense to that comment on "woman drivers". I do not drive with the "toggle switch" method. Also, I do not "push the card" to hard. I'm fully aware of the size of both the engine and the car. Also, understand totally about the EPA. You evidently have never read the "performance" section (under features and specs) of the Scion xB ad on the internet. I am roughly quoting here: "We wouldn't call it an econonomical car if it wasn't" Later in paragraph, "Expect to get 30 city/33 highway mpg-all without sacrificing high performance and low emission". That's them talking, not quoting government EPA which when stated, gives credit to the government. Not meaning to go on here, but don't want to be made out to be a "dumb woman" either. I've accepted the low mileage, don't want to hash about it anymore, before others learn about the problems and the resale value begins to drop. It's already dropped since August. :shades:

I agree with three of the last four posts on this subject. The exception being the offended one. I too get better mileage driving TheWife's car than she does. Of course there are exceptions - especially in their own minds One of the many pleasures in life is driving - be it fast and furious, or slow and easy. Adding a fuel mileage goal just adds a little for us cheapskates. Luckily the xB does not have the mpg gauge - the one where you can actually get 'feedback' while driving. I suspect it would be too much of a daily distraction. I also enjoy watching the brake lights of the cars in front of me. On and Off - On and Off. All the while I'm just coasting along until we are all stopped TOGETHER at the next light or intersection.

For the individual considering buying a Scion - 18,500 miles after buying my 05 xB - I'd do it all over again. That is the single best gauge I can think of. Been back to the garage twice - both for free oil changes and tire rotations. Then, I'm easily pleased, as well as amused

I have been following this board for awhile as we are considering purchasing a 2006 XB. I see a lot of flucuation on the actual MPG and am curious if any type of study has been done on "normal" driving conditions as opposed to "ideal" driving conditions. The MPG is the main reason we are looking at the XB as we have a long daily commute. Two other things I'm curious about but can't find any other boards on are:

1. those who use this as a commuter vehicle or take long road trips. Is it a comfy ride?

and an important one

2. Does anyone live in a high snow area. I live in the chicago/nw indiana area and have visions of coming home from work after a snowstorm and not being able to get into my driveway because the xb is so low to the ground.